


Soften Every Edge

by AlextheAlright



Series: Light [1]
Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Angst, Character Death, F/M, Humor, M/M, Minor Moriyama Shiemi/Okumura Yukio, Multi, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Rin and Izumo are godparents, baby yukishiemi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:01:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26138539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlextheAlright/pseuds/AlextheAlright
Summary: **CURRENTLY ON HOLD FOR EDITING REASONS**Being a godfather was easy. You spoil the kid rotten, give them candy, and just make sure you're the favourite adult. Though the baby's godmother was none other than Izumo Kamiki, even Rin couldn't screw up a job that easy, right? Or at least that's what he thought when Yukio asked him to be his and Shiemi's kid's godfather.They were supposed to live. They were supposed to take care of their little brat and let Izumo be the aunt who came over every once in a while with gifts and let them have cookies before bed. Why did they have to die? Why did they leave her behind with this innocent thing, who now had nothing but a pair of useless godparents, who didn't know what to do. Even worse, the ones who killed them were still out there, and now they wanted the baby too.The phone call would have woken Ryuuji up, if he hadn't been already trying to distract himself from the pain with paperwork. He was sure Rin hadn't meant to call him, but he couldn't just leave the two of them, in the early hours of the morning, with a screaming baby when they both clearly had no clue what they were doing. Finally, his years of babysitting numerous Shima children had come in handy.
Relationships: Kamiki Izumo/Okumura Rin, Kamiki Izumo/Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji, Okumura Rin/Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji, Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji/Okumura Rin/Kamiki Izumo
Series: Light [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1932943
Comments: 55
Kudos: 50





	1. 1 Izumo

**Author's Note:**

> Hey!  
> This is my first time writing a proper thing, so I hope you like it.  
> I can't promise regular updates, but I'll try my best to stick to at least once a week. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Also, if you do like it, you have tonguetiedraven to thank for that, I couldn't have done this without her.

Izumo trudged into her apartment, not bothering to unlace her boots as she unbuttoned her exorcist coat, laying it on the back of the armchair and collapsing on the couch, letting her muddy boots hang above the couch's arm. She debated passing out right there on the couch, and letting her pinched toes and aching back be future Izumo's problem for a minute before ultimately remembering the heaven that is a hot shower and her cozy bed and lifting herself up on her elbows. 

Suddenly, her text alert rang out. With a sigh, she heaved herself up, unzipping her boots before slipping her feet out and putting them in their place by the door where all her shoes were. When her sock clad feet touched the floor, she let out what could only be described as a moan. Exorcist boots: good for keeping your toes from breaking or being chewed off by a demon but not the most comfortable. She fumbled in the semi-darkness, the light emitting from her window not quite enough to let her see where her hands were. She felt around blindly through her pockets until her hands wrapped around her phone. Who would be texting her at...3:40 a.m.?

To be fair, she had just returned from a 24 hour solo mission, her comprehension skills weren't as good as they usually were, so when she read the words "baby's coming" from Yukio, followed by three exclamation points and an "omw" from Konekomaru, her brain took a minute or two to digest the information. Once the words sank in, however, she rushed to her room, all previous exhaustion forgotten as she dressed herself faster than she ever had. She ran out the door, only to run back in when she realized that the reason the floor was suspiciously cold was that she was, in fact, barefoot.

"Hi," the receptionist said, smiling at Izumo,"how can I help you?"

"I'm looking for my friend, Okumura Shiemi. She's having a baby," Izumo said.

At the mention of the name Okumura, her smile dipped into a frown.

"Oh," she said, valiantly trying to force a welcoming smile back on her face, "you're with that... _energetic_... young man. It's room 490, fourth floor,take the hallway to your left."

Izumo was willing to bet three months' pay that the 'energetic young man' was Rin, and that he had done something stupid that made the whole hospital hate them. She sighed, looking around for an elevator before making her way to her friends room. Upon arriving at the room the receptionist had told her Shiemi was in, she found a panicking Rin running around like a headless chicken, a pale-faced Yukio looking like he's about to pass out, and an exhausted looking Shiemi looking at her husband and brother-in-law in fond exasperation. 

"Ah, Izumo, you're here." She said, smiling at her friend," You mind passing me that water bottle? Rin and Yuki are a bit...busy." 

Izumo rolled her eyes before getting up to hand her friend the bottle then sitting back on the edge of her bed. Shiemi, in turn, drank her fill before recapping the bottle and resting her back on the pillows behind her.

"I'm glad you made it, I was worried you'd miss the baby's birth because of your mission."

"Of course not!" She replied, before realising what she said. Her cheeks colored slightly, like they did every time someone accused her of having feelings.

"I just...I had nothing better to do."

Shiemi chose to spare her dignity and not ask how she had nothing better to do after returning from an exhausting mission in the early hours of the morning. Her body chose this moment to turn against her as a contraction ripped through her, making her visibly flinch from the pain. Izumo reached out to her friend, but Shiemi waved her off.

"It's just a contraction, Izumo, don't worry. How long was this one, Rin?"

Rin abruptly stopped rifling through the bag that sat on one of the uncomfortable looking armchairs by Shiemi's bed and reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone.

"That's...15 minutes," he said,"how are you feeling? Do you need water? Do you need food? All the articles say that you should be comfortable. Oh, do you need me to fluff up your pillows? Or do you nee-"

"Rin," Shiemi interrupted, not unkindly, "I'm fine, If I need anything I'll tell you."

"Actually, Izumo could use some coffee, don't you, Izumo?"she snuck a look at Izumo that the other girl couldn't decipher before looking back at Rin.

"I also ran out of water a while ago. Could you go get me another?" She smiled sweetly, "and please take Yuki with you, he's been sitting like that for the past hour."

Rin nodded so hard, for a second Izumo thought his head might pop right off. He walked to his brother and pulled him to his feet, blabbering about baby mama wanting water. This seemed to break Yukio out of whatever trance he'd been stuck in. His gaze met Shiemi's, and some unspoken communication passed between the pair before Yukio smiled and gave the slightest nod as he was pulled by Rin, who was glad to finally find something useful to do. 

"So, Izumo," Shiemi started, taking a deep breath, "we're exorcists...and exorcists tend to have much...shorter lives than average."

Izumo knew that, just like she knew that very few exorcists made it past 40, but it was one of those things you knew, deep down, but avoided thinking about, because it only lead to darker thoughts. She knew that they were exceptionally lucky to make it this far, and she knew that she could lose any one of her friends any day, but she stored the that particular piece of knowledge in a seldom visited corner of her mind, and well, if the thought of her friends, her family, the ones who had picked her pieces and put her back together when she fell apart being gone, so soon after they finally got everything sorted out, felt like an ice cold hand squeezed her heart, she was only human.

"My point is," she said, meeting Izumo's eyes, "Yuki and I, we could die any day."

"Shiemi dont-"

"No, let me say this, please," her hand moved, reaching out beyond her swollen belly and holding Izumo's in a warm grip.

"This child, I...I want them to be safe. No matter what happens to Yuki and me."

She squeezed her hand, prompting Izumo to look back into her friend's forest green eyes. 

"Izumo, please, if anything were to happen to me, I need you to protect them."

Izumo's breath caught in her throat. This woman, this woman looking at her with determined eyes. This girl she'd once called a weed, she'd insulted her, and treated her like dirt beneath her shoes. Shiemi had stuck with her through it all despite that, through pain and betrayal, through a thousand fights. She'd patched her up countless times, and she'd fought back to back with her. 

She who had the blood of ancient things, powerful things running through her veins, who was the last daughter of a long line of shrine maidens, before whom thousands of demons kneeled, she was nothing compared to Shiemi. How could she ever replace her? How could she ever do a better job than Shiemi? How could her eyes ever echo even a fraction of what Shiemi's held? A fraction of the love, for both Izumo and the child, of the determination, of the resolve to do what's right, to stand by your friends to your last breath, that Shiemi's poured out so easily? The answer was simple. She couldn't. If this child lost Shiemi, there was no replacing her.

"Shiemi, I-"

"WE'RE BACK !" 

The door slammed open, and Rin walked in, tail swinging back and forth like an overexcited puppy. Izumo felt the reoccurring urge to kill Rin. 

"Shiemi! I bought you water, but all the websites said to bring an isotonic drink. I didn't know what that meant but Yukio said that this lemonade was okay."

"That's okay, thank you, Rin," she replied. She turned and looked to her husband, who was holding a coffee carrier and seemed to have been trying to hold Rin back from entering the room before the other had barged in. He shot his brother an exhasperated look before settling down on his chair, wordlessly offering Izumo one cup before taking the other for himself. Rin looked from Shiemi to Izumo, noticing the tension in the room. 

"So, who wants to play Monopoly?" 

Maybe Rin wasn't so bad after all.


	2. 2 Ryuuji

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the group finally arrives!

Izumo was going to kill Rin.

It wasn't the first time Ryuuji was supporting a friend in labour, so he knew not to rush to the hospital as it would take some time, but it certainly was the first time someone would be murdered on the same day the baby was born.

"You're dead, Okumura,"

Izumo's voice was normal, but the murderous look in her eyes chilled Ryuuji to the bone, and it wasn't even directed at him.

"Hey! Chill out, eyebrows! It's just 10 dollars, you would've lost anyway!"

Rin, however, had exactly zero braincells.

"That's enough monopoly now, don't you think?" Shiemi interrupted,greeting him with a wave as he entered the room,"Look! Bon and Konekomaru are already here!"

Rin looked away from the board lying between him, Izumo, and Shiemi, valiantly giving Izumo his back, to Ryuuji and Konekomaru. The aria watched as his frown straightened out comically fast before he burst into a grin. A small, rebellious part of Ryuuji's heart almost burst with affection for his friend.

"Bon! Koneko! You made it! I haven't seen you guys in ages!"

Rin jumped up, overturning the board and startling awake a dozing Yukio. Before Ryuuji berate him for it, he found himself and Konekomaru pulled into an overexcited half-demon's embrace.

A half-demon with superstrength's embrace.

"We missed you too, Rin," Konekomaru said, patting his friend's back "but, Uhh, could you maybe let us breathe?"

"Sorry," the demon apologized, letting them go and scratching the back of his head sheepishly, "it's been a while since we've all met up,"

"Yeah, we've all been pretty busy," Ryuuji replied.

Over the years, the close knit group had grown out of True cross town, though they did stay in contact. The first to go was Pakku, who moved to England for university, closely followed by Renzou, who gradually started going on overnight missions that slowly became two day missions, then week-long missions, until one day his 'return home' became more like the occasional visit. Izumo soon moved to an apartment in true cross, one that was closer to the order headquarters, and by the time Yukio and Shiemi had gotten married and moved into her old house to run the exorcist supply shop, Rin had moved to a nearby studio apartment. By then, Ryuuji had finished his third meister, tamer, and moved back to Kyoto with Konekomaru in tow to begin restoring the temple to its former glory.

Ryuuji looked over to the girls, wondering when they stopped being teenagers and became so grown up. Shiemi was collecting the peices she could reach without getting up, and Izumo frowned as she got off the bed to collect the monopoly money that fell on the floor. She looked, for the lack of better word, like a zombie. Her usually neatly tied up hair was falling around her face and she was wearing what looked suspiciously like a pyjama top under a worn cardigan that everyday Izumo would never wear in public. He was also pretty sure her left foot was sockless.

He kneeled on the floor next to her, ignoring her scandalized face.

"I can do it myself," she said, snatching the papers from his hand.

"I didn't ask you," He replied, taking them back.

She huffed and ignored him, collecting the remaining papers. He rolled his eyes at her stubbornness as he handed them to Shiemi, noticing the multiple empty paper cups sitting on the bedside table. Suddenly, he remembed her mentioning that she had been going on a mission the day before yesterday, one that likely ended only a few hours ago. Knowing Izumo, she probably came here straight away. He fought the urge to yell at her, reminding himself that he was still in a hospital, and that he was 23, and not a hot tempered 15 year old anymore.

"Izumo," he called out to her. She turned to face him with a trademark sneer, but the full effect was dulled by the fact that her eyelids were clearly only being kept open by caffeine and sheer willpower.

"Izumo, you need to sleep," he said, trying to keep his tone even.

"I'm fine," she snapped.

Annoyance surged through him. He was only being a good friend, why was she acting that way?

"Fine," he replied, "but you're probably gonna need 5 more cups of coffee, the baby won't be here for another 4 hours at least."

Honestly, Ryuuji didnt know why he bothered anymore. It's like she was trying to pick fights on purpose. She had opened her mouth, no doubt telling him to mind his own buisness, when Shiemi's winced, taking her attention away from him.

"Rin, how much was that," Shiemi asked, making everyone fall quiet.

"That's...FOUR MINUTES AND FORTY-THREE SECONDS!"

In the blink of an eye, Rin made his way to the bed, nearly trampling over Ryuuji and hugged the pregnant woman, letting out a squeal before letting her go. Ryuuji almost forgave him for nearly running him over.

"Alright, everyone out!" He said, suddenly wiping the excited smile off his face and replacing it with a serious expression so fast that the Aria thought he had hallucinated the half-demon's excitement.

"Out, out, out! All of you! Come on! Except you, Yukio, you stay right here."

When they failed to react, he began to push Ryuuji out after pulling him to his feet, only to go back to give Izumo the same treatment, wishing Yukio good luck and shutting the door behind him when all the former classmates were outside the room.

The walk to the waiting room was tense with nerves, and Ryuuji was sure Rin was about to bite his lip off by chewing on it. When they reached the waiting room, Rin sat still for exactly 3 and a half seconds before bouncing back to his feet, and soon he was wearing a hole through the floor with his pacing.

Ryuuji sighed. This was going to be a long 4 hours.

Shura and Renzou's arrival, as always, was impossible to ignore. How the guy managed to be a spy for so long was beyond Ryuuji. He walked out the elevator with Shura in tow, the midday rays coming in through the windows giving their brightly colored hair an obnoxious glow. Shura's clothing was as revealing as ever, but it was more out of comfort and personal style than the previous distraction tactic. She smiled at something Renzou said, turning to face the sun and taking in the warmth with a deep breath, for once without signs of a hangover. Retiring from her job as an active duty exorcist and taking up a teaching job at the cram school had done her good.

Renzou looked the same as he always did, though the stubble on his face that he had neglected to shave made him look like a younger version of his father, if Shima Yaozou had a rebellious phase and decided to dye his hair pink. At the thought of the head of the Shima family with pink hair, Ryuuji cringed internally. It felt sacrilegious. He moved stiffly, with a straight posture instead of his trademark slouch. Ryuuji felt a pang of concern for his friend.

Shura raised her eyebrow at the two napping with their heads leaning against each other on the other chair,covered in an oversized coat that clearly belonged to Ryuuji, who blushed furiously. Renzou, the traitor, snickered before pulling out his phone despite the ferocious glare sent his way and snapping a picture of the pair. Ryuuji looked away, trying to hide his rapidly heating cheeks. He was only in a thin t-shirt and she was shivering, was he supposed to just let them freeze?

Renzou sat on the chair next to Konekomaru, who had been too entranced in the book he was reading to notice their arrival. Ryuuji nudged his bald friend, making him break into a smile before greeting the two warmly.

"So, how's Blondie holding up? And what about chicken, he passed out yet?" Shura asked when everyone was through with greetings.

"Last I saw of him we were leaving the room and he looked ready to throw up," Ryuuji replied, the blush on his face fading into an amused smile.

"Think he'll last longer than Juuzo?" Renzou asked.

"Nah," Ryuuji replied," he looked about the same color as his shirt."

Renzou laughed, then winced as he clutched his ribs.

"You good?" Ryuuji asked, brows wrinkling in concern. He had long since let go of his resentment of Renzou for being a spy. While the knight liked to pretend that he only cared for himself, he had proven multiple times that when they needed him most, he would always end up being there. It's just that them needing him often entailed someone nearly dying.

Renzou frowned and nodded, sitting back carefully on the chair.

"Yeah, just a couple of bruised ribs," he replied," Why don't you wake the sleeping beauties over there and I'll tell you about it?"

Ryuuji nodded, handing the laptop he had been proofreading his last mission report on to Konekomaru before getting up.

Izumo was asleep, her head laying on Rin's shoulder and her hand holding her phone loosely. The Halfling's cheek was on her hair and they were both snoring softly. Like that they looked... _adorable_. Ryuuji blushed, banishing the thought from his head. He shook her shoulder gently while calling her name, not wanting to startle her.

Of course, it didn't work. Izumo sat up suddenly, and Konekomaru winced as Rin's head, which until that moment had been resting on hers, hit the wall with a painful sounding thump.

"What the hell?" He cried, rubbing the sore spot at the back of his head.

The two of them looked up, and, realising the position they had been in, jumped apart from each other like they were on fire. Well, Rin tried, upon which he had somehow tangled himself in the coat and fallen of the edge of the chair. Renzou burst out laughing, holding his side but unable to stop, while Shura howled with delight, waving around her phone, which she had used to record the whole thing.

"What the hell, you moron? Has your last brain cell finally died? What were you doing, sleeping so close to me?"

"Me? You were the one who was drooling all over me, Eyebrows! It's not my fault!"

"As if I'd fall asleep on a monkey like you!"

"Hey guys," Konekomaru interrupted, trying to hide his smile, "don't you think we should be more quiet? This is a hospital after all."

They glared at each other, then simultaneously turned away, Izumo glaring at the wall to hide her flushed cheeks while Rin grumbled about stupid eyebrows as he rubbed his head and back.

Then, noticing Shura and Renzou, promptly forgot his pain as he bounced to his feet, pulling them both into a hug despite Renzou's protests and his pained groan.

"Seriously, at this rate it'll never heal," he muttered, taking a deep breath and wincing from the pain.

"What'll never heal?" Rin asked, tail swaying contentedly behind him.

"About that," Renzou said, his face growing serious," there's something important I need you all to know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I originally planned on having each chapter be around 1500 to 2000 words, with each chapter from Izumo, Ryuuji, or Rin's point of view, in that order, but I'm considering combining every three chapters into one, making each chapter about 6k words long. What do you guys think? would you want something like that? Or should I keep the 2k chapters?  
> constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, and have fun!


	3. 3 Rin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Renzou tells his story and the baby's here

They all quieted down, the light mood turning sombre as they listened.  
  
"A few years ago, around the time things finally settled down and the Vatican took Rin's sword, I heard through the grapevine that some people weren't so glad that the children of Satan were allowed to run around.  
  
"I kinda expected this, so I didn't really pay much attention to those rumors. There was only a few names, so I thought they'll lose intrest eventually. A few days ago, though, a friend of a friend told me that something suspicious was going on back at the France branch, so I went to investigate. I snuck into a meeting, and there were people asking questions about things that don't concern them."  
  
Rin's heart beat nervously. Weren't they done with this crap? Wasn't this all wrapped up back in cram school? He thought that they'd gotten it all sorted out, and this was their happily ever after. Why was his and his brother's heritage coming back to haunt them?  
  
"As you probably guessed, the names of those people matched the names of the ones the rumours were about.  
  
"I don't know for sure what they're planning but all I know is that they were asking about the location of the Kurikara.  
  
"With that and the timing of the kid's birth and their intrest in children of Satan, I can tell you've probably put the same peices together as I did."  
  
  
At those words, Rin's mind blanked out. Numbly, he registered Ryuuji and Konekomaru's horrified expressions, Izumo's indecipherable one, and Shura's frown. But that meant...someone was trying to kill the baby. Someone, out there, wanted to harm his little neice or nephew. They wanted to kill them. The last several months flashed before him. He remembered being invited to dinner at Shiemi and Yukio's house, he remembered being told that Shiemi was pregnant, that he will be an uncle and he remembered the tears. He remembered the subsequent evening, being left alone with Yukio, only to be asked to be the baby's godfather, and crying again. He remembered the ultrasounds, the tiny bean that will one day be a real, living person. A person he already loved with all his heart. How could he not? The baby was Yukio and Shiemi, his best friend and his brother, the two people he loved the most. How could he not love it with every fibre of his being?  
  
And now someone wanted to take that Baby away. They wanted to end the small, bright life that Yukio and Shiemi had created before it started.  
  
"But the baby isn't even born yet!" Rin cried, eyes blurring, "how can they be so heartless?"  
  
Tears glistened in his eyes and he couldn't tell if they were out of anger or sadness. The thought that someone, somewhere out in the world had no qualms with killing an unborn child, or worse, a baby, had his stomach churning. He doubted they would be merciful to Shiemi, either.  
  
"You know it's not how these people think," Shura said, for once softly," the vatican once ordered Shirou to kill you, too."  
  
"It's diffrent," he snapped," the baby is more important! I won't let them..."  
  
He trailed off, unable to continue the thought.  
  
The baby wasn't like him. It was innocent. It was the good parts of all of them, untainted by the troubled past they lived and the horrible things that happened in their teenage years.  
  
Rin ignored Ryuuji's pitying gaze and Konekomaru's concerned one.  
  
"We can't let that happen,"  
  
He turned to Izumo, surprised that she out of everyone she would say that.  
  
Her voice was stone cold, but filled with determination. Her red eyes almost shone with intensity, and for a minute, Rin forgot to breathe.  
  
"We'll take turns," she said, "We'll guard them day and night if we have to."  
  
Rin nodded, a determined expression crossing his face. He would die before he let anyone touch a hair on the baby's head. He'll camp out in their garden if he had to. No one, would harm his godchild.  
  
"Count me in," Shura replied, a dangerous glint in her eyes. Konekomaru and Ryuuji followed suite, and Rin's breath caught in his throat. His friends, no, his family, would always be by his side.  
  
"I'll keep looking into it," Renzou said, " I've got an inside man, it cost me a bruised rib or two, but the information is reliable."  
  
"Should we tell them?" Asked Konekomaru.  
  
They all fell silent, considering the situation. Izumo opened her mouth to say something but closed it without speaking.  
  
"Not now," Shura finally said, breaking the silence, "having a new baby is stressful, and that's when it's a completely human baby. Let's wait for them to settle into a routine before saying anything."  
  
That sounded like the best option to Rin. Though they can't keep the truth hidden forever, stressing them out, especially when they had a newborn to deal with, when the threat might not even be serious sounded like a recipe for disaster. He wanted the baby to have as much of a normal childhood as possible, and if that meant they had to discreetly keep an eye on their friends for a while, well, that was something he was willing to do.  
  
"I can stay with them at the hospital until we get a system going," Izumo volunteered.  
  
"Absoloutely not!"  
  
They all turned to Ryuuji, surprised at his outburst. He turned red under their combined gazes before clearing his throat.  
  
"I mean...you're no good to anyone half dead,"  
  
Izumo blinked, then scowled as she comprehended the words.  
  
"Who are you calling half dead, you pea-brained gorilla?"  
  
"Quit being so stubborn! We can all see you're clearly not fit to protect anyone right now! A bunch of coal tars could take you down!"  
  
"A bunch of coal tars? I can take you down now and any time, and with a hand behind my back!"  
  
Rin watched them argue, turning back and forth from his place between the two. He really should stop getting himself caught between those two.  
  
"Yeah? I'd like to see you try," the Aria said, crossing his arms.  
  
"Why, you-"  
  
Rin intervened before the situation got out of hand, catching Izumo's wrist as it flew straight at Ryuuji's face. He was about to open his mouth to berate the two for arguing, the Phantom Baryons from being in similar situations so many times already making his thighs ache, when he was interrupted.  
  
"Nii-san," Yukio said, smiling despite the tear tracks on his face and the bags under his eyes,"would you like to meet your nephew?"  
  
He let Izumo's wrist go, gasped, and then the world turned dark around him.  
  
  
When the half demon woke up, six pairs of eyes were looking at him in concern. He sat up, looked at Yukio, and burst into laughter. It took him sevral minutes to calm down, but when he did, he looked at his brother.  
  
"Yukio," he said, unable to keep in a stray giggle,"I just had the wildest dream."  
  
Yukio looked beyond exhausted of his brother, but he still raised an eyebrow in perfect silence.  
  
"I dreamt that you said the baby was here!" He giggled again,"Can you imagine?"  
  
When he noticed nobody else was sharing his amusement,(well, nobody other than Renzou and Shura at least) he stopped laughing.  
  
"What's wrong with you people?" He asked.  
  
"Rin," Konekomaru replied gently, "it wasn't a dream, the baby really is here."  
  
He felt cold, then hot, then nauseous.  
  
"What..."  
  
Yukio sighed before hauling his brother to his feet and begining to pull him to the room Shiemi was staying in, motioning for Izumo to come too. The others frowned in confusion and Izumo scowled, but followed them anyways.  
  
"Oh my god," Rin said, suddenly stopping when they were one turn away from the room," Oh my god, I'm an uncle."  
  
"I'm an UNCLE!"  
  
He hugged Yukio, ignoring the yelp of indignation his brother let out as he spun him around before putting him back on the floor.  
  
He ran the rest of the way to the room despite the multiple warnings he received from the nurses and the exclamation from the man he nearly knocked over. Just before reaching the door, he slowed down, opening the door gently.  
  
On the bed was Shiemi, holding a blue bundle and softly humming a lullaby. She looked up with a smile that reached her exhausted eyes when Rin came in. Her eyes were red and puffy, her hair was plastered to her forehead with sweat, and her face was flushed with exertion, but Rin thought she never looked as beautiful as she did then.  
  
He couldn't breath. He couldnt think. All he could do was stare at the blue bundle in her arms until a small, red hand poked out and it was so tiny Rin was gonna _die_.  
  
"D'you want to hold him, Rin?" Shiemi asked.  
  
Rin gulped. He was so tiny... the half-demon was afraid he'd break him. After all, that's what he always did. His monstrous strength wasn't good for anything. But at the same time this was the baby. Yukio's baby and Shiemi's baby, the one he'd dreamed about ever since that day months ago.  
  
Shiemi noticed the conflict going on inside him and held out a hand. Reflexively, Rin moved forward, meeting her outstretched hand. She pulled him in, and before he could pull back, she placed a slightly squirming baby in his arms.  
  
He held his breath, moving his arms to the proper position he'd seen and practiced so many times with rolled towels, and he looked at him and God, this baby was the most perfect thing ever. He was still red from the birth, but he had a full head of brown locks, just like Yukio's. He had a tiny mouth and a tiny nose and tiny, squeezed shut eyes. Rin felt like he was going to burst with affection.  
  
He didn't know when he first started crying, but he knew that he noticed the droplets darkening the soft, blue blanket before he broke down.  
  
"I'm...I'm sorry," he sobbed,"he's so perfect, I'm sorry I ruined y...your blanket. You're p...,perfect, ya know? He's perfect. I love him s...so much. I love you. I'm your uncle R...Rin, and I love you. I love you m...more than anything. And I'll protect you, no matter what. So...so let's be friends, yeah?"  
  
He looked at the baby as if it would respond, and his heart beat so wildly he wouldn't be surprised if it broke out of his chest. The baby was here. He was finally here, and Rin never wanted to let him go  
  
Rin met Shiemi's gaze, to find her looking at him fondly, the emotional moment bringing tears to her own eyes.  
  
"Shirou," Yukio's voice said, interupting his sobs.  
  
Rin's brows furrowed in confusion.  
  
"His name," Yukio said, trying to hide a stray tear by adjusting his glasses, "it's Shirou."  
  
Rin smiled, looking down at the the baby as he let out a yawn. He didn't dare move his hands from their position. Instead, he lifted him up, laying a kiss on his forehead.  
  
"Hello, Shirou," he said," it's an honor to finally meet you."  
  
  



	4. 4 Izumo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izumo meets Shirou

Izumo wasn't nervous. No she wasn't. Her palms were sweaty because it was hot and breathing was getting harder because she was allergic to something around here. She wasn't panicking, and she certainly wasn't scared of a baby, for crying out loud, so if Rin tells you that she jumped two feet in the air when he opened the door, he's a liar.  
  
He looked like a mess.His eyes were red and swollen, his hair messy from his impromptu nap in the waiting room, and the oversized shirt he was wearing was slipping down one shoulder, not to mention he was still sniffing occasionally. On his face, though, was the biggest smile she had ever seen. He told her go in, saying he'd go get the others.  
  
She opened the door and entered, hearing her heartbeat in her ears. Yukio was holding the baby and looking out the window, but he turned when she closed the door behind her.  
  
"Izumo."  
  
She looked to her friend, who seemed to be barely keeping her eyes open. Shiemi patted the bed next to her, and Izumo moved as if in a trance. She sat on the bedside, all the nerves from before suddenly dissapearing, leaving behind a cold numbness she'd only felt in dangerous situations before.  
  
"Izumo, you know you're my best friend," Shiemi started, taking her hand in her own, "I love you, and I respect your decisions, so if you say no, I won't pressure you."  
  
Izumo's throat felt dry, so she nodded.  
  
"Remember when we were exwires, back in Kyoto, and you told me to let you protect me?"  
  
She nodded again.  
  
"Why'd you do that?"  
  
She wet her lips, trying to delay the answer.  
  
"Was I just supposed to let you die?" She said, trying to hide all traces of emotions with a sneer.  
  
Shiemi didn't say anything, she just waited for her to continue. The frown on her face fell. What was she supposed to say? Because she was her friend? Because she would do anything for her? She knew the answer Shiemi was seeking, but Izumo didn't do emotions, she just didn't.  
  
"Because...because I loved you," She finally spat the word out like it burned her tongue when it became apparent Shiemi wouldn't take her previous answer. There, she said it.  
  
The new mother beamed, squeezing her friend's hand. She winced as she sat up, but continued anyway.  
  
"Exactly," Shiemi said, smiling as she remembered their teenage years, "you loved me. You'll love him too."  
  
How can she love him? She'd never even met the kid. She wasn't like Rin, who practically lived with the couple for the duration of the pregnancy, or even like the Kyoto trio, who grew up with little siblings running underfoot. She didn't know how to love a child. She could never love the kid enough.  
  
"You don't understand!" Izumo cried,all her emotions crashing back like a wave, "I'll never love him as much as you do! And...and, if anything happens to you, how can I replace you?"  
  
A long, tense silence followed. Izumo felt hot tears stream down her cheeks. She tried to wipe them away, but more just kept falling. She couldn't understand. How could anyone ask her to be responsible for something like that? Izumo was the hot-headed one, the mean one. She was the one who sneered and threw insults that sliced people down like daggers. She wasn't built for love. She wasn't built for this. Shiemi should've picked someone else. Anyone else. How did she think that someone like her would be good enough for the baby?   
  
"Izumo," Shiemi said, taking a deep breath,"Shirou is my son, he's the best parts of me."  
  
She swallowed before saying the next words.  
  
"I think, if you love me, then you'll love him, too."  
  
She waited for Izumo's response, but the other girl remained quiet.  
  
"Give me a chance, Izumo. If you love me, then give me a chance. Give Shirou a chance, and I promise, you'll love him too."  
  
Izumo didn't know what to do. She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to be responsible for this. But...she couldn't say no to Shiemi. Not after everything. She owed her at least that much.  
  
"Fine," she muttered, and Shiemi beamed.  
  
"Yuki," she called, but her husband was already handing her their son. She handed him to Izumo.  
  
A pang of nervousness shot through Izumo, "What if I drop him?"  
  
"You won't," Her friend said simply, positioning her arm under the baby's neck,"This way, you have to support his neck, otherwise he'd get hurt. No, don't be so tense, he's gonna sense it and be upset. There you go," with that, Shiemi gently layed the baby in her trembling arms.  
  
A memory came back to Izumo, holding another baby, this time a girl, her small arms barely enough to keep her from rolling out of her lap. She pushed the bittersweet memory away, focusing on the blue of the baby's blanket.  
  
Izumo held the baby, cradling him close to her chest. He wasn't too bad, he looked a bit like Shiemi, but he was red and small and overall weird. Izumo wondered if all newborn babies were this squishy.  
  
Then, he opened his eyes, making her heart stop. Ruby red eyes started up at her, like her own, like her little sister's, and like her mother's. He had red eyes eyes and brown hair, but everything else was Shiemi. From the round shape of his eyes to the tiny nose, to his tiny, square nails. He looked like her best friend, but in his eyes she saw the family she lost. He was everything she had lost, and he was everything she loves now.  
  
Shiemi was right. She loved him. She couldn't help but love him from the moment he opened his eyes and looked up at her. Her heart ached with how much she loved him, a deep, overwhelming feeling, like she might burst from happiness and cry at the same time. Her smile trembled as she looked at the baby in her arms, now awake and looking around the room.  
  
"You're right," she said.  
  
Looking up when she didn't receive a response, she smiled fondly at her friend. Shiemi was asleep, her face peaceful. Izumo looked at Yukio, only to find him facing the window, giving her some semblence of privacy.  
  
She leaned down, kissing the baby's cheek.  
  
"I love you, Shirou," she whispered in his ear, because she did, she loved this tiny peice of her best friend that is somehow his own person. She loved him so much she couldn't describe it in words. The smile on her face turned painful, but she couldn't bring herself to stop.  
  
"I love you," She whispered again, holding him close to her chest as she enjoyed the overwhelming joy simply being in his presence bought her.  
  
And, well, if her eyes were red and she sniffed one too many times, it was just her allergies.

  
  
Turns out, babies were, in fact, supposed to be this squishy.  
  
"Isn't he too squishy?", Rin asked, punctuating the question with a poke to Shirou's cheek. Yukio glared at his brother for even suggesting that Baby Shirou was anything less than perfect, while Ryuuji took a more physical approach and whacked him upside the head.  
  
"You idiot, don't poke the baby! And he's perfectly normal, stop being weird!"  
  
"How was I supposed to know?" Rin protested, rubbing his abused head,"I've never seen a newborn baby before."  
  
"How could you have never seen a newborn before? Don't you have any relatives or something?"  
  
"No, I don't! I was raised in a fucking monastery if you don't remember."  
  
Yukio's glare intensified. Izumo was concerned he might glare a hole through his brother's head, and the baby would be down one godparent. With the infamous Okumura bad luck, she wouldn't be surprised.  
  
"Relax, chicken, he's not old enough to tell what they're saying," Shura said, snickering at the new father. He ignored her, sitting on the armchair closest to Shiemi's bed.   
  
Izumo roller her eyes at their antics, tuning out the ensuing argument. She sighed. Was the chair always this cozy? She remembered it being pretty hard when she first came, with crappy faux leather that smelled weird. Oh, well, she'll just lie back a bit. The lights here are pretty bright. Annoyingly bright. She'll just close her eyes, just a bit. Only for a minute.  
  
Someone was shaking her. Someone was shaking her and she did not want to be shaken, thank you very much. Izumo slapped the hand away, muttering a "go away," before turning her face away from the pesky light.  
  
"Izumo, come on, you really should go home."  
  
So annoying. Why couldn't they just let her sleep? She huffed, pulling the blanket over her shoulder to block out the light.  
  
"Oi, eyebrows, wake up. I wanna go home already."   
  
Someone was tugging her blanket away. That someone was going to die.   
  
She blinked her eyes open, a death glare already on her face as she planned all the painful, gruesome ways she would torture the blanket theif before killing them.  
  
Her eyes opened and...  
  
"Okumura?" she asked, looking at the blue eyes staring at her in annoyance. Wait, why was the half demon here? She looked around, squinting at the sunset rays coming in through the window. Huh? Sunset? What time was it? She fished out her phone, nearly dropping it when she read the time. How had she spent the entire afternoon napping in the chair?  
  
"Are you coming or not?"   
  
She looked up, for a minute forgetting she had company. He looked exhausted, and she didn't blame him. He had arrived with Yukio and Shiemi, even earlier than she had, and had been at the hospital ever since. She stood up, putting her phone back in her pocket and folding the blanket someone had covered her in. Had she really been that exhausted? At least she had the next three days off. Well, two now.  
  
She was so occupied with her thoughts that the door opening made her jump. She turned, finding Ryuuji holding a cup carrier with three cups. The scent of hot chocolate drifted over to her, making her stomach remind her exactly how long it had been since she'd had a proper meal.   
  
"Here," he said, offering her a cup, "hot chocolate, it's pretty cold outside, and it'll get even colder."  
  
She considered throwing him a dirty look and turning away, but, well, it was that time of the year when mornings were bearable but nights were cold enough for coats, and she was pretty hungry.  
  
"Thanks," she said, hoping her blush could be blamed on the steaming cup. She settled back on her armchair, letting her drink warm her up. Dimly aware of Rin sitting on Shiemi's bedside opposite her and chattering with her about the baby, she let her mind drift, not really focusing on the conversation. She was a godmother. There was a small person that she had agreed to take care of if his mother couldn't. She was responsible for a life. A real human life. She felt the panic squeeze her chest, but before it could get serious, she remembered holding Shirou, feeling his tiny heartbeat as she held him against her chest.   
  
Wait a second.  
  
"Where's Shirou?"   
  
Rin and Shiemi stopped their conversation, surprised at her sudden question.  
  
"Oh, I guess you weren't here," Rin started," they took him away to the nursery."  
  
The panic returned. Nursery? wasn't that where they took the kids with health problems?  
  
"What's wrong with him?" She asked. He seemed just fine when she held him. Did something come up?   
  
"Huh?" Rin asked, "nothing's wrong with him. They just took him there so the nurses would look after him so Shiemi could recover."  
  
"Oh," she said, feeling stupid after the freak out. She tried to cover her blush with a swig of hot chocolate, but it had finished. She frowned at the empty cup. Of course nothing was wrong with him, he was perfectly healthy. What was wrong with her? Since when did she... _worry_ about people?  
  
The two resumed their conversation, and Ryuuji went back to whatever he was typing on his phone. She sighed before looking around the room, noticing a sudden absence of former classmates.   
  
Before she could ask, the door opened, letting in a refreshed looking Yukio. He closed the door behind him before laying the bag he carried on the floor next to the bed. He leaned over to Shiemi, greeting her with a quick kiss before tossing a jacket at Rin and sitting on the bed by his wife.  
  
"Alright," Ryuuji said, getting up, "come on, you two, I'm dropping you off."  
  
Izumo raised an eyebrow. Was he, now? She didn't remember asking him to drop her off anywhere.She was about to protest, when Rin cut her off.  
  
"Finally! I think I forgot what a proper bed feels like."  
  
"Wait a minute," she said, frowning as she got up, "we can't just leave."  
  
How could they just leave? Weren't they all just talking about staying with the new parents a while ago? Now suddenly everyone wants to go home?  
  
"Why not?" Yukio asked, looking at her, a claculating look in his eyes. Izumo's heart skipped a beat. Wonderful. They haden't even had the secret for a full day and they were already revealing it. Just when she thought she'd have to make something up, Rin saved her.  
  
"She's just worried about you, Yukio. Don't worry, Izumo," he said, grinning at his brother to distract from her nervous expression," Shura and Renzou just went to pick up something that isn't cafeteria food, they'll be here any minute."  
  
She felt her frown lessen, her heart calming down with it. They would be fine. Though Shura was retired, she could still summon her familiars and she she still had her sword. Renzou was also one of the strongest exorcists of their generation, arguably the strongest after the Okumura twins. She sighed, walking to her friend.   
  
"Take care, okay?" She ignored the way the words felt awkward in her mouth as she squeezed her friend's hand, seeing Shiemi's soft smile and nod before turning away and letting her get assaulted by the force of nature that is a Rin Okumura hug. Yukio tried to look serious, as usual, but he wasn't spared. Izumo smirked as the younger twin, being lifted of his by his much shorter brother, let out an indignant "Nii-san! Not again!" Before he was set back on his feet. She walked to the door being held open by Ryuuji, who congratulated the pair one last time before leaving, letting Rin and her follow him to the parking lot.   
  
The cold breeze peirced through her cardigan, chilling her to the bone as she walked out of the building. The last rays of sunlight valiantly tried to light up the sky, painting it a dark purple where the sun had already gone below the horizon. They walked, for once, in silence across the parking lot. When they reached a decent looking red car, Ryuuji pulled out the car keys and it lit up as he unlocked it.  
  
"Wow, Bon, is it yours? Since when do you have a car? That's so cool!"   
  
Izumo turned, looking at Rin, who looked at the car with wide, excited eyes. Izumo took advantage of his distraction and slipped into the front seat.  
  
"Nah," Ryuuji said, though amusement at the halfling's expression was written clearly across his face as he opened the drivers door, "just a rental. Konekomaru and I got here pretty early, and we didn't want to have to deal with rush hour on the trains and I had a feeling we might need it. Get in before you freeze your ass off."  
  
As if suddenly remembering that it was cold, the halfling opened the door and sat in the back seat, scowling when he noticed Izumo in the passenger one. She smirked, making sure to meet his gaze in the rearview mirror. She saw Ryuuji roll his eyes at them, but ignored the urge to insult him seeing as he was sparing her a ride through the trains that would no doubt by now be crowded with people going out to de-stress after a week's work.  
  
She sighed and leaned back into her chair, the soft snores coming from the back seat and the radio's low tunes lulling her into a peaceful state. 


	5. 5 Ryuuji

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ride home

Driving in True cross town was relaxing. Unlike public transport or even the crowded sidewalks, the roads were empty, few people being able to afford the expensive parking. That, and the well paved roads. Ryuuji wasn't really surprised when he saw the white head in the back seat dropping, and turned the music low so he wouldn't disturb the sleeping half-demon.  
  
Izumo, was quiet, the frown on her face gone. He snuck a look at her, finding her with her face turned to the window, propped up on her arm and leaned against it.  
  
"Suki..yaki...gimme...."  
  
Ryuuji turned away just in time to catch her amused smirk, though it only lasted for a second before the sound of her own rumbling stomach filled the car. He sighed. He should probably make them stop to eat at a restaurant or something. Knowing from his years living there that this particular road only lead to the residential area, he took the next U-turn.   
  
"What are you doing? This isn't the way home."  
  
He sighed again,"taking you to eat. You were asleep and the idiot was too busy crying over the kid."  
  
"I didn't ask you to take me anywhere," she replied. Though he couldn't see her, he was sure she was crossing her arms and sneering at him. His resolve to be the mature one was weakening more and more by the second.  
  
"Yet, you're in my car."  
  
"That's not your car, you rented it. And I didn't ask you to do that too! As if you could afford something as nice as this car!"  
  
"Well if you don't like it why don't you-"  
  
"Could you both shut up?"  
  
Ryuuji met Rin's eyes through the rear view mirror, finding the halfling rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.  
  
"Where are we, anyway?" He asked.  
  
The scowl on Ryuuji's face returned.   
  
"We," he said, making sure to shoot Izumo a dirty look before focusing back on the road," are getting something to eat."  
  
"No were no-"  
  
"Really!"  
  
He heard a thump that was no doubt Rin's tail, trying to sway around in the small space.   
  
"That's awesome! I thought I'd have to eat leftovers from yesterday! Where do you guys think we should go?"  
  
Ryuuji considered his options. He knew he didn't have much money left, what with the rented car, hotel room, and train tickets he'd bought. He also knew that Rin didn't have his wallet since he'd left it at home in his rush to get to the hospital. That didn't leave much options.  
  
"How about some instant ramen?" He asked, deciding to just spit it out.  
  
"No way I'm having instant ramen for dinner, are you crazy?"  
  
The vein in Ryuuji's temple throbbed dangerously, and with it, the last of his patience dissapeared.   
  
"Look here, you fucking bitch, if you think it's so bad, you can get out the car and walk home, I'd like to see how far you get. You can even get your own food!"  
  
"Don't pretend to be so self-righteous! You're only doing this to make yourself feel useful! We all know a failure of an exorcist like you never amounted to anything anyway. You're lucky you're this he Bocchan of your temple, otherwise you'd be homeless!"  
  
"Uhh, Bon?"  
  
"At least I do something with my fucking life, other than running around kissing that stupid clown's ass, going on missions nobody else would go on just 'cause it pays well, like a money hungry dog!"  
  
"BON!"  
  
"WHAT!"  
  
"CAR!"  
  
His eyes snapped back to the road just in time to avoid the oncoming car, the impact throwing them all to the right side.   
  
"Jesus..."  
  
If Ryuuji were raised Catholic, he would agree. His fingers trembled around the steering wheel as his heart beat in his ears. Izumo was silent beside him, and he could see her covering her mouth with her hands out of the corner of his eye as she tried to steady her breathing.  
  
The quiet remained unbroken until they pulled into the supermarket parking lot.   
  
"Okay," Rin started, taking a deep breath, "here's what's going to happen. We're gonna go into the store, pick out our favorite flavours, pay, go to the hot water dispenser, then we're gonna come back to the car. And if I hear a single word from any one of you, I won't be happy."  
  
Ryuuji was about to protest, but the dark look in his eyes made him shut his mouth. Izumo bit her lip and looked out the window. It was in moments like this that he remembered that Rin was actually the son of Satan, and that he had the ability to torch them without lifting a finger. He mentally counted to three to calm his nerves before unbuckling his seatbelt and stepping out of the car, making sure the other two had stepped out before locking it and making his way to the sliding doors.   
  
They must have made an amusing sight, three people, stepping out of a brand new looking car into the supermarket to make a beeline straight for the instant ramen aisle. Ryuuji ignored the stares, counting aisles till he reached the one they needed. Though he rarely indulged in fast food, he quickly picked his favourite brand and waited for the others to chose theirs.   
  
At the sight of food, the smile returned to Rin's face, reminding Ryuuji of how much of an idiot the guy actually was. He watched as he paced back and forth, picking out five cups.  
  
"You can't eat 5 cups," Ryuuji said. He knew the dangers of shopping while hungry, and while he also knew how formidable the half-demon's appetite was, he couldn't possibly eat all that.  
  
"I know," he said, frowning, "I just can't decide."  
  
Izumo rolled her eyes but didn't dare speak. She walked down the aisle, her eyes scanning the shelves. She frowned when she reached the end, but suddenly perked up when her gaze caught something on the upper shelf. Ryuuji watched as she reached for it. She was too short. He managed to hide his laughter with a cough just in time to turn his gaze away from her. Looking out of the corner of his eye, he saw her stand on her tippie toes, but the one she wanted was still out of reach. This time, he couldnt hide the snort.  
  
She turned to him, blushing furiously as she gave him the dirtiest look she could fathom before grabbing a one of the cups on the shelf within reach.   
  
"Oh, you wanted that one?" Rin asked, now only holding 2 cups. He walked over to where she was, reached above her head, and managed to her her the one she wanted (just barely, Ryuuji noted).  
  
"Th-thanks."  
  
"No problem, Izumo," he said, smiling.   
  
They all walked back to the register, Ryuuji pulling out his wallet and payed before anyone (namely any purple haired tamers with names starting with I and ending with zumo) could protest and payed, leading them to the hot water dispenser.  
  
Ryuuji pulled out Rin and Izumo's cups, handing them to their owners before unwrapping his own and adding the seasonings. Once he was finished, he threw the wrappers in the trash, turning to find Izumo standing by the water dispenser, holding her cup close to her cheeks so the heat would warm her up while Rin stood next to her, tail swinging with excitement as he filled his own. For the second time that day, Ryuuji reminded himself that he did not just think that Izumo Kamiki and Rin Okumura were cute.  
  
Once he finished preparing his meal, Ryuuji pulled out his car key, bracing himself for the blast of cold he would face when he left the enclosed supermarket. He briskly walked back to the car, turning on the heating once he got the car engine running. Rin hadn't wasted any time digging in, based on the sounds coming from the back seat.  
  
He finally allowed himself to open his own cup, breathing in the warm air emitting from it. He unwrapped his plastic fork before muttering a quick prayer and begining his meal.   
  
When they all finished their food, Rin volunteered to throw out the trash, giving them both warning looks before taking the plastic bag and shutting the car door behind him  
  
He looked out the window, cringing internally at the awkwardness. Why hadn't he taken out the trash? Sure, it would've sucked to leave the car's relative warmth, but this situation sucked even more. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, hearing Izumo shift beside him.  
  
She finally sighed, and he fought the urge to roll his eyes.  
  
"Look, I'm...sorry," she muttered, almost too low to be audible,"I didn't mean to say all those stuff about you, but I still did."  
  
His jaw dropped. Was he dreaming? Was this a hallucination from inhaling too much ramen vapour? Or had the car actually crashed back then and killed them all? There was no way Izumo was apologizing.  
  
In his shock, he didnt notice that his eyes were open so wide they nearly fell out their sockets. He watched as she pressed her lips together, turning to look out the window.   
  
"No, No, don't- I mean-" he said, struggling to find the words.  
  
She turned back to him, and guilt ate at him as she noticed her shiny eyes.  
  
He cleared his throat,"I mean, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have said that, we were both being childish, ya know?"  
  
She frowned for a second, but then gave him a rare smile," Yeah, I suppose we were."  
  
He returned her smile, noticing Rin had made his way back from the trash cans.   
  
"God, how is it this cold in October? How are we gonna survive the rest of the year?"  
  
He saw Izumo roll her eyes, but smiled as he pulled the car out of parking, making his way to the residential district.  
  
Izumo's house was closer, so they dropped her off first. She unbuckled her seatbelt, sliding out of the car and pulling her keys out her pocket. Rin unbuckled his seatbelt, quickly sitting in Izumo's vacant seat and shutting the door behind him before too much cold air filled the car. Ryuuji waited as she entered the passcode, unlocking the door and shutting it before the alarm turned on.

Once she entered, he changed gears, and they were on their way again.  
  
"You think...you think something bad will happen to Shirou?"  
  
The neighborhood they were in was fairly quiet, so Ryuuji spared the halfling a look. He was looking at him expectantly, worrying his lip between his teeth.   
  
"I..uhh, I'm not sure," he replied, knowing that lying to Rin wouldn't help the situation,"I don't know what will happen, but I do know that he has the strongest exorcists in the world ready to protect him."  
  
"I guess," Rin said, but he didn't look entirely convinced.

  
"Look," Ryuuji started, not liking the nervous expression on his face,"we defeated Satan, how bad can a bunch of nosey people be?"  
  
At the mention of their victory over his father, Rin grinned,"Yeah! They won't stand a chance! Well beat them before they even come close! And Shirou won't have to deal with all the shit being an exorcist means!"  
  
Ryuuji smiled, glad that he was able to comfort his friend. He turned the corner, and Rin's apartment came into view, making him pull over.  
  
Rin noticed the abrupt stop and looked up, sighing when he saw his apartment.  
  
"See you tomorrow, Ryuuji."  
  
The use of his actual first name made something in Ryuuji's heart jump, which he didn't acknowledge.

He watched the halfling open the car door, patting his pockets for his keys and shrugging when he didn't find them. He shot Ryuuji one last grin, saluting him and, with one jump, cleared the 7 stories and landed on his balconey rail, light as a feather.   
  
When he finally entered his apartment, Ryuuji sighed as he turned the car around. Finally, he was going to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> double update because a) these two chapters are pretty uneventful b) I've been procrastinating like hell and need to edit next week's chapter and the ones after c) I wanna post the next Rin chapter as soon as I can.


	6. 6 Rin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The saddest chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!WARNING!!! this chapter includes blood, lots of it. Also stabbing. Also what could be interpreted as a panic attack. You have been warned, procede with caution.  
> 1\. I did say I couldn't promise regular updates. I meant more along the lines of no updates, but ig this counts too.  
> 2\. Constructive critisism is greatly appreciated, so If you see something wrong, from a grammar mistake to plot holes, feel free to comment about it.  
> 3\. My tumblr is 9thprinceofhell, feel free to send me a message if you like. Also, I'm taking requests, so if you want to reccomend anything, tell me and I'll do my best.  
> 4\. I'll be marking the part with the warning stuff with *** , so you can read up until that point.  
> 5\. for those who can't read this chapter, basically a guy with yellow eyes kills shiemi and Yukio and Rin loses control of his flames and burns the house down.

!!!WARNING!!! this chapter includes some things that might make some people feel uncomfortable, incuding: blood, stabbing, and what might be interpreted as a panic attack. procede with caution.

"Look at you! You've gotten so big, you make your uncle feel old," Rin said, barely stopping to toe his shoes off at the door before scooping the 5 month old and swinging him around.

"Nii-san! Don't lift him up so high, you might drop him!"

He rolled his eyes at his brother, but lowered Shirou.

"Shut up, Yukio. You're just mad 'cause I'm his favorite," he replied, putting his nephew on his hip. Yukio's face turned a violet shade of red, and Rin smirked, knowing he'd successfully annoyed his brother.

"No I'm no-No you're not!"

"I am. Isn't that right, Shirou?" Rin said as if fully expecting the child to reply.

He turned to him, and the baby looked from his uncle's face, which he had been staring at, to his silver earing. Alarm bells rang through Rin's head, but before he could do anything, Shirou pulled his small hand from his mouth, wrapped it around the shiny piece of jewelry, and pulled.

With a yelp, the Halfling tried to untangle the tiny fingers from his earing, but they held tight.

"Yukio! Help me!" he said, the pain making him physically wince, which made the earing pull harder on his earlobe.

"I thought you were his favorite," Yukio said, a satisfied smile on his face as he pushed his glasses up.

"Quit being a smartass and help me, four eyes!"

The grip on his earing tightened, and Rin grew more desperate by the second. Yukio gave him a dirty look, but it was clear he was enjoying himself as Rin tried again to pry Shirou's hand from his earing, but only succeeded in making him tug harder. Shirou, apparently finding his uncle's squaking hilarious, burst into laughter while Yukio's smirk mocked him.

"I'm glad one of us is enjoying this," Rin said, glaring at his nephew comically.

"Two of us, actually," Yukio replied, smiling at his suffering.

"Boys, stop fooling around," Shiemi said from the kitchen, interrupting Rin, who was about to say something that would've no doubt earned him more than a glare from his brother," Yuki, come help me set the table."

Yukio sighed, finally getting Shirou to leave his uncle's earing and handing him back to Rin once he stopped reaching for it before making his way to the kitchen.

"Looks like it's just me and you, buddy. What do you think we should do?" he asked, staring at the baby.

Shirou stared back, his hand back in his mouth. He removed it, and then promptly threw up all over them both.

Rin sighed, wincing at his now vomit covered shirt, "A change of clothes it is."

"Alright, I think it's time for me to head home," Rin said, handing Shirou to Shiemi before stretching and walking to the coat hanger by the front door, "Thanks again for dinner, Shiemi. Keep this up and you'll be a pro chef in no time."

"Thank you, I've had a good teacher."

He looked up from his shoelaces in time to catch her smile, returning it with a grin of his own.

"Are you sure you should be leaving? It’s snowing out, maybe you should stay the night," Yukio said, putting an arm around his wife and child.

In truth, Rin had no plans other than watching the house from a distance, something he didn’t look forward to doing in the freezing February night. He comforted himself with thoughts of the hot shower he would have when he got home. He supposed that technically he wasn’t supposed to leave them unprotected, but he had been taking turns on guard duty for the past 5 months, and nothing ever happened. Well, except that time he almost torched a stray cat, but that was a story for another time. Besides, he needed a change of clothes. Nothing would happen if they were left unprotected for 15 minutes. 

"Aww, little bro, you do care!" Rin said, standing up and reaching to ruffle his brother's hair when he noticed he had gotten lost in his thoughts, "I gotta go though, things to do. Besides, I need to take a shower thanks to someone here."

He made a face at Shirou that softened to a warm smile when a yawn drowned out the Baby's resulting giggle.

"I think it's about bedtime for you," Shiemi said, adjusting her hold on her son so that he was lying down, "good night, Rin."

Rin responded by stepping forward, placing a kiss on her forehead and one on Shirou's cheek. He gave his brother a quick hug, one that was, for once, returned before opening the door and heading out into the cold night.

********* 

Something was wrong.

The faint buzz he usually felt when crossing the wards around their house was there, but something was still wrong.

His suspicions were confirmed when he reached the front door, finding it wide open. Rin forced himself to breathe in as he walked into the living room. Maybe it was just a burglar. Maybe they forgot to close the door or something. Maybe he didn't leave his best friend and brother and their kid to die because he needed a goddamn shower.

Shiemi's scream broke the silence.

He ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time as he fought to control his breath. This wasn’t happening. This was a bad dream. He probably fell asleep and forgot about it or something.

He burst into the room, but nothing could prepare him for what he saw. His brother was bleeding. His brother was bleeding and dead on the floor and it was his fault.

"Rin!" shiemi called out from next to the crib, and his world stopped turning. A yellow eyed masked man was holding a knife to her chest, a familiar looking sword slung across his back.

"Don't move!" the man cried, tightening his hold on her. Rin could see her staring in anguish at Yukio's eerily still body, but his brain refused to comprehend its meaning. Right now he had to focus on saving Shiemi and Shirou.

"I won't," Rin said, trying to find a way closer without harming Shiemi, "Just-just let her go, okay? T-take me instead!"

"I said don't move!" the man replied. The Knife was now digging into her chest enough to draw blood.

"Rin," Shiemi said, forcing her tear stained eyes away from her husband.

She met his gaze with a determined one, "take care of Shirou for me, okay?"

"What do you-"

By the time he noticed the blood dripping from her hand and the summoning circle she had slipped out of her sleeve, she had already summoned her familiar.

"SHIEMI NO!"

His cry was a millisecond too late. It happened too fast, but too slow. He could see the events unfold before his own two eyes, but he couldn’t do anything to change them.

"Nee, come out!"

The familiar sprung out of the summoning circle in a poof, and a large branch threw the man out the window but not before he'd pushed the knife into Shiemi's heart.

She fell to her knees, and Rin rushed forward to catch her before she hit the ground.

He called out her name, looking around in desperation as he tried to stop the bleeding.

"I guess this is how it ends, huh?" she asked, blood flowing freely from the wound in her chest.

"N-No, Shiemi, don't say that. Y-Youll be fine."

He tried to apply pressure to the wound. He should call an ambuance. He reached for his phone, but a blood soaked hand stopped him.

"It's fine, Rin, they won't make it in time, anyway."

"Don't say that! You'll be fine, you can't die. Who's gonna take care of Shirou?"

She smiled at him, and something inside him broke. His vision blurred and the control he had on his breathing dissolved as he held her closer to his chest.

"Sh-Shiemi don’t go, p-please don’t go."

Her familiar dirt and jasmine smell was tainted with the coppery scent of blood that now coated them both. Even when she was dying, she smiled at him, and his chest felt like his chest was going to collapse under the weight of his pain.

"Don't cry, Rin, I'm gonna be okay," she said, pausing as the crimson liquid coated her lips,"I had a good life. I just need you to take care of Shriou for us, okay?"

He couldn’t breathe. His brother was gone, his best friend was dying, and his nephew was crying in his crib. Oh, god, what was he going to tell him? That he was the reason he would grow up an orphan?

"Rin, please, I-I don’t have much time left. Tell me you'll look after him for us,"

Her eyes were staying closed more often now, Rin was sure she didn't have long. She was dying. His sobs were becoming more desperate, but he couldn't deny a dying woman's last wish.

"Al-alright," he said, blinking his eyes to clear them, though he couldn’t force his sobs to stop.

She smiled despite her closed eyes, "Thank you."

With one last exhale, she she breathed her last, and the hand holding his went limp.

Shiemi was dead.

He stood up, gently placing his best friend on the floor. He could still feel the warmth that lingered behind, a mockery of her warm existence. Eerily calm, he lifted the screaming baby and cradled him to his chest, humming the lullaby he'd heard Shiemi sing to him the day he was born. The child wouldn’t stop crying, his little lungs struggling to take in air as he reached for his mother's body.

For the first time in years, he gave in to the desire to burn. His Blue flames lit up the night, burning the house to ashes, but only warming the two bodies as he watched, clutching his nephew to his chest, as if by keeping him close enough, he could keep him safe.


	7. 7 Izumo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the funeral

The funeral was a quiet affair.

The couple didn't consider many people friends and as such, not many were invited, and of the few that were, some didn't even manage to show up.

Izumo sat, refusing to grasp the situation around her despite the mourners dressed in black and the two caskets that lay in front of them, decorated by the flowers Sheimi had loved so much. She convinced herself that this was a joke, that any second now, Rin would let in the actual Yukio and Shiemi through the door, explaining that it was the world's most elaborate prank. They would laugh, Ryuuji would no doubt punch him, Shura would complain about having to use up one of her vacation days, and things would go back to normal.

But they didn't.

Rin stayed in his seat, a far off look in his eyes, Ryuuji's usually annoyed expression was replaced with a respectful sad one, and Shura wasn't making fun of anyone or complaining.

Worst of all, the bodies didn't move, they stayed right where they were, surrounded by an obscene amount of flowers.

She'd say they looked peaceful, like they were sleeping, except they didn’t. They looked cold and too stiff and wrong, and seeing them made her stomach turn. 

She felt a fragile hollowness inside, like someone had taken all the things that held her together and ripped them out, leaving a behind a black hole that threatened to suck her in if she thought about her current situation too much. 

Shiemi was dead, Yukio was dead, and Shirou was left alone.

The thing she had feared most had happened.

She didn't let herself think of that. If she thought about it too much, she would break down, and she couldn’t do that right now, when Shirou needed her most. Instead, she focused on the baby's cries that were echoing throughout the church, almost louder than the man reading out prayers, on the feeling of the hard wooden pews beneath her, and on the scent and color of the flowers surrounding the caskets. When her hands shook, she forced them underneath her thighs, when her eyes watered, she blinked away the tears, and when breathing started getting difficult, she held her breath until she regained control.

Before she knew it, she was standing alone with Rin before two freshly filled graves beside an old one, the frigid wind making her face numb.

By then, Shirou had finally tired himself out and was sleeping, his head on Rin's shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

She turned to him, startled by the sudden apology. Was he talking to her, or to the graves? Was he talking to Shirou? He had his eyes fixed on the graves, but he bit his lip in anticipation, waiting for her response.

"I'm sorry I-" he cut himself off, finally meeting her eyes, "It's my fault."

Did he mean Shiemi and Yukio's deaths? Though the thought was like a knife to her chest, she forced herself to remember the story she'd been told. Was Rin careless? Yes, he was, but he wasn't the only one who left his station for a couple of minutes before. She herself had arrived a sevral minutes late once or twice, and she was sure Shura had taken a couple of breaks too. If anything, it was bad luck. Either that or whoever killed them had been watching the house for a while. 

She was about to tell him that when he chuckled, but it sounded like a grim thing coming from his mouth, "Can't even take care of him, can I?"

She watched him smile sadly at his nephew, tucking the blanket tighter around him. 

He took a deep breath a deep breath, giving the baby one last kiss and untangling his hands from the scarf around his neck, and held him out to her, "I think-I think you should take him, Izumo."

The world around her turned on its head, her eyes widening before the words broke past the wall of apathy she had forced herself to put up. Rage was the first to break through.

Her hand met his face with a resounding crack, leaving behind a red mark that would no doubt become a nasty bruise. 

"You bastard!" she cried, her voice breaking as she pulled him in by the collar, "They trusted you, you bastard!" 

Just like that, the dam of emotions she had just been holding back broke, and she felt them overflow inside her, drowning out any sense of self control.

"How could you? They, they trusted you! How can you abandon him like this?" her hands were turning white around his coat, but she held on, even when her knees gave out beneath her and dug into the cold, hard ground. Izumo could barely see his shocked face through the hot tears streaming down her face, but she didn’t stop, not even for the wailing baby between them. She wanted to pull him closer, pull him inside her, so he could feel her rage, her sorrow, so he could understand that he couldn’t leave. That he couldn’t abandon the child with nothing left, that he couldn’t abandon her. Her hands dug into his coat, pulling even though there was no space left between them. 

"Izumo I'm…I'm sorry."

She felt something warm and wet against her face, and suddenly, Shirou was in her lap and Rin's arms were around her, and they were both shaking and holding onto each other like a lifeline. They cried together, his tears mixing with hers until she couldn’t tell where hers ended and his began, and their frantic breathing synchronized.

When she finally managed to pull herself away, they had both stopped crying, and what was left behind was a dull ache, right where her heart was. She had long since lost feeling of her legs, and Shirou was cooing at the gently falling snow, apparently enjoying his spot between the two exorcists. A strange sense of peace surrounded them as they stared at the graves, until the baby started getting bored with the snow, remembered that he was supposed to be sad, and began crying.

Rin stood up first, taking him out of her arms as she struggled up with numb legs. He bounced Shirou with one arm while he offered her the other, which she refused. The pair walked back inside, slipping off their shoes before walking into the monastery's kitchen. 

Immediately she could smell the aroma of hot chocolate coming from the mugs on the table as Shura sat on one of the kitchen chairs, staring at the dial screen on her phone with a frown. She was just about to ask her who she was calling when she noticed Ryuuji leaning against the counter. When he saw them, he sighed in relief, then raised an eyebrow at their mud stained clothes and the handprint on Rin's face.

He handed her a steaming mug and offered Rin one as she sat on the chair nearest to the Shura, but the Halfling shook his head, depositing Shirou on her lap as he made his way to a baby bag and pulled out a bottle and a can of formula. He opened the bottle, walking over to the sink and holding it under the water to fill it up.

"What are you doing?"

Izumo watched as Rin closed the tap, turning to Ryuuji with a confused look.

"Making a bottle?"

"That's not how you make it," Ryuuji replied, looking at Rin as if he was stupid.

"I didn't even make it yet, I was just adding the water."

"You don't add tap water; he'll just throw it back up."

Izumo did not know that. Apparently, neither did Rin, judging by the miserable expression on his face.

"Oh," he mumbled, looking at the ground "maybe that's why he kept throwing up."

"You're kidding," Ryuuji replied, his eyes widening comically, "You've been making his bottles with tap water all this time?"

His lack of response confirmed it.

Ryuuji sighed motioning for them to come closer, "Come here, the both of you." 

She stood up, placing a still grumpy but thankfully no longer crying Shirou on her hip as she walked to the sink, finally regaining the feeling in her legs.

"Look, you either boil the tap water, or you buy bottled water. Bottled water is better, but boiled water is fine too. Just don't use an electric kettle. When the water evaporates it leaves behind residue that can get in the baby's food."

With that, he washed the ancient looking kettle sitting on the stove, washed it thoroughly in the sink, and filled it with water before turning on the stove and placing it on it.

"So, where will he be staying," Ryuuji replied, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter after he put the water on the stove.

"My place," they said in unison. 

Izumo looked at Rin, and Rin looked back at her.

"My place is bigger," she started. Like hell she would leave Rin alone with Shirou. He was ready to give him up not thirty minutes ago. She would make sure Rin didn't leave again, and she definitely wasn’t leaving her godson. Of course, she knew nothing about babies, but she would rather die than ever let Shirou out of her sight again.

"He's been to my apartment more," Rin replied. The reminder that she didn't spend as much time with Shiemi as she should’ve cut deep, but she buried the pain in favor of the current topic.

"Actually, I think it's better for you all to move to Kyoto."

They all looked at Shura, now with her phone back in her pocket and a grim expression on her face.

"She's right," Ryuuji said, uncrossing his arms as he took Shirou from Izumo and started patting his back, "We don't know if it's safe here, and we could have the most protection there. We can't guarantee the order's loyalty, but we can at least trust the Myou Dhaharani."

Izumo wanted to protest. She wanted yell and sneer and stay in her home of five years, but she knew she couldn’t do any of that. Right now, Shirou was the most important thing. His safety was her number one priority. If moving to Kyoto would make him safer, then she would do that.

"Fine," she finally said.

Ryuuji turned to Rin.

"I'll come too," the Halfling replied.

Ryuuji smiled for the first time since she saw him two days ago, and handed Shirou to her as the kettle began to boil. He was now much calmer than before, though he still sniffled occasionally. Izumo carefully studied the way he made the bottle, running it under cold water to cool it down then testing the temperature on his wrist so she could do it herself later.

After declaring the bottle safe, he handed it to her, looking at her expectantly. Her brows furrowed in confusion, but she took the bottle, holding it out to Shirou, who gave her a miserable look then burst into tears.

She heard a sigh, and turned around with a glare on her face and an insult on her tongue but all Ryuuji did was take the bottle out of her hands.

"He's too young to hold his own bottle," he said. He pulled Shirou out of her arms before giving him back, this time with his head in the crook of her elbow, "here, hold him with one hand and hold the bottle with the other. Tilt it a little so he could breathe."

His voice was patient and his hands were firm as he taught her the right position, and her face turned red under his careful gaze as he watched her feed the baby.

"So, uhh, when should we come?" Rin asked, breaking the trance.

"The sooner the better," Ryuuji replied, going back to his original position against the counter.

And that was how, after a shopping trip that wore out her feet and her wallet, Izumo found herself on a train, seated between Rin and Ryuuji while she tried to distract herself from her thoughts by staring at the passing scenery. She heard a soft snore, and turning to the seat beside her, she saw Shirou, sleeping with his hands clutching Ryuuji's shirt as the Aria dozed in his seat.

The heaviness in her chest eased marginally, and for the first time in what felt like years, she allowed a small smile to grace her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote a thing! It started out as cute thing as an apology for what I did to Yukio and Shiemi, but it looks like it might get longer. It's mainly centred around the first months of Shiemi's pregnancy and why they chose Rin and Izumo to be the godparents. Go read it if you like! It's called I'll do better and its part two of this series.


	8. 8 Ryuuji

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They arrive at Kyoto

The ride to the inn was bumpy, yet uneventful, and they reached their destination in the early evening. Rin stepped out first, immediately volunteering to get the bags. He didn’t miss how the Halfling avoided anything involving his godson like the plague, but decided to deal with that later, when they were all rested and showered and there was nowhere to run off to. From the backseat, Izumo rolled her eyes as she unbuckled the car seat and lifted Shirou out as soon as her feet hit the floor, holding him close and scanning the area around them with narrowed eyes. 

Great, now he had to deal with that too.

Konekomaru looked at them in concern from the passenger seat as he opened the door, "Are they going to be alright?"

"I don’t know," Ryuuji replied, "I hope so." 

His mother was the first to meet them. When she saw them in the entryway, she pulled him and Konekomaru in for quick hugs. He let himself relax in her arms for a few seconds, burying his face in her shoulder and breathing in her perfume. For just a minute, he allowed himself to a little boy seeking comfort in his mother's arms.

When he pulled away, he was back to being the head priest of the Myou Dharani and the director of the Kyoto branch office.

. After giving Konekomaru similar treatment, she walked over to Izumo, who had Shirou held close to her chest and Rin standing behind her, and reached out, offering to hold the baby.

Izumo stiffened, tightening her hold on her godson and taking a step back. Immediately, Torako retracted her hand.

"I'm sorry for your loss," she said, trying to hide her confused frown at the tamer's suddenly tense posture.

He watched as Izumo bit her lip and turned away, loosening her hold on Shirou when he began to squirm and visibly relaxing when Torako took a step back.

"It's fine," Rin replied when Izumo remained silent, though he too refused to meet her eyes.

His mother's careful expression softened into one of understanding, and she smiled warmly at them.

"If you need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask me."

Rin nodded, and Izumo finally muttered a "yes" as she lifted her gaze where it was stubbornly nailed to the ground.

"Here, you can have my phone number."

She struggled for a bit, trying to hold Shirou, who somehow had his entire hand in his mouth, with one arm while she reached into her bag to pull out her phone.

Ryuuji rolled his eyes, giving Rin a pointed look as the idiot just stood there, staring at her.

When he noticed him looking, the Halfling's widened, and he fumbled with the bag, almost dropping it before pointing to himself. Ryuuji nodded, and Rin looked like he was about to throw up, but turned to Izumo nonetheless.

"Here, l-let me hold him for you."

Izumo sighed, handing off Shirou with a muttered "finally",pulling out her phone and taking Torako's number.

They all stood in silence, watching as the pair exchanged numbers when suddenly, the sound of small feet running down the hall reached their ears, and every instinct in Ryuuji's body told him something was about to happen.

"Nozomi, don't you dare!"

The warning was not a second too late and Ryuuji, accustomed to the usual chaos of Shima children, caught the little girl just in time before she barreled into Rin, her eyes comically wide as she stared at the baby in wonder. He picked her up as she kicked her feet out, hitting him as she tried to break free of his hold. Ryuuji winced, but held on tighter. 

What did her parents feed her? There was no way this kid was a normal three year old, because that was going to bruise.

"Wanna see the baby!" she screamed, now slamming her fists on his arms as well.

"NOZOMI!"

At the sound of her mother's voice, Nozomi finally stopped attacking his poor limbs, pouting as he let her down. 

"I'm sorry for that, Ryuuji-sama," Mamushi said, taking her daughter's hand and pulling her away from him with a stern look, "I tried to stop her, but the moment she heard the cars pull in she ran off."

"It's alright, she didn’t do anything," he lied, trying to hide his wince with a smile.

"But mama, I wanna see the baby!"

Mamushi shushed her daughter, giving her a look that said she was in deep trouble before she noticed Izumo and Rin standing in the middle of the hallway.

She didn’t say anything, not a word of condolence or a pitying look.

"Come with me," she said, finally breaking the silence," I'll take you to your rooms."

"I'm staying with Shirou," Izumo started.

"No, he's saying with me."

There it was, the argument he'd foreseen when he suggested they move to Kyoto.

"Actually," Mamushi said, turning back to them, "You're both staying with him. Ryuuji-sama has suggested that you take the room next to his, in case anything happened."

After a long moment of silence, they both nodded, and Ryuuji sighed in relief as they followed her to their room.

Next to him, Konekomaru smiled, "Finally, we're home."

The phone call would have woken Ryuuji up, if he hadn't been already trying to distract himself from the pain with paperwork.

He had tried to sleep, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the Yukio and Shiemi, and the poor kid they left behind. While he was closer to other members of their group, their deaths had still hit him hard.

They were so young, and they were gone. They were never coming back, and they'd left behind their little kid. The silence of his bedroom only made the thoughts louder, and before he knew it, there were tears streaming down his face and he was crying like a little kid.

Work was more productive than crying anyways.

He took his eyes off his laptop screen, glancing at his watch to make sure that his phone was, indeed, ringing at 2 a.m. His heart skipped a beat. Why was his phone ringing? These days, a phone call this late meant one of two things; an emergency, or a disaster.

His brain produced a million scenarios of what could have gone wrong. Was there an intruder? Did a demon break through the barriers? Was someone hurt?

Was someone else dead?

With this thought in mind, he picked up the phone, the nervous fluttering of his heart increasing when he saw Izumo's name on the screen.

"Bon, thank God you picked up," Rin said.

Ryuuji barely heard him over Shirou's ear piercing screams in the background.

He was about to ask what was wrong when someone took the phone from Rin, and the sound of crying increased, forcing him to pull the phone away from his ear.

"He-he won't stop crying. We fed him, we changed him, and it's not cold but he's still crying. I don't know what to do."

She sounded close to tears, and he didn't even care anymore that they nearly gave him a heart attack by calling at a time like this. He couldn’t leave them like that, in the early hours of the morning, with a screaming baby when they both clearly had no clue what they were doing. Finally, his years of babysitting numerous Shima children had paid off.

"I'm coming," he said, barely catching Izumo's relieved "thank you" before he hung up.

Walking through the inn at night was…strange. The normally bustling halls were empty, and the buzz of people talking, walking, and doing their daily chores was gone, making the place seem like a different one.

When he reached the empty hallway their room was in, he could already hear the baby's cries, and when he entered the room, he sympathized with Rin, who had a pained look on his face as he rocked Shirou in his borrowed crib.

Izumo was also standing nearby, scrolling frantically through her phone and occasionally stopping to glare at the screen.

"Bon! You're here" Rin cried, looking up at him with tired eyes.

Ryuuji ignored him, walking purposefully to the crib and scooping Shirou out.

"Did you burp him?" he asked, glancing at the empty bottle on the bedside table and quickly checking the baby's diaper.

"Yes," Rin replied,"Mamushi showed us how."

He nodded. So he wasn’t hungry, he was burped, and his diaper was clean. That left little reason for him to cry, but that didn't seem to be a problem for the kid, since he continued screaming his head off.

He racked his brain for a solution, but he couldn’t find one.

Suddenly, he remembered the few days after Mamushi first started working at the inn, and how Takezou, her first born, used to cry for no reason other than missing her. The only way he would stop crying was when he was back with his mother.

But Shiemi was dead. How could he give Shirou to her? He swallowed, the thought making his heart growing heavy, but he had an idea.

"Do you have anything of Shiemi's?" he asked.

Rin's face fell, and an ashamed look replaced the relieved smile he had on.

"Uhh, no," he said, looking at the floor, "It-It was all gone when..."

When the house burned down. Of course. Ryuuji looked at him in concern, but ultimately decided to deal with this after calming Shirou down.

"Actually, I might have something."

They both turned to Izumo, who pressed her lips together before walking to the corner of the room where her unpacked bag was and dropped to her knees where her unpacked bag was, rummaging through it. After a few minutes, she pulled out a yellow shirt that looked like it had seen better days.

"She, uh, she forgot it last time she came over."

Ryuuji nodded, forcing his hands to stop shaking as he took the shirt from her hands. While they watched in bewilderment, he wrapped the shirt around Shirou, who finally started to calm down.

Rin sighed in relief when he finally fell quiet, sitting on the bed. Izumo followed suite, sitting beside him after getting up from her knees, leaning against the headboard and staring at the blanket like it held the secrets of the universe.

He looked out the window to hide his face as he rubbed the baby's back, the familiar dirt and rain smell making him tear up.

When he tried to put Shirou back in his crib, the baby's small hands latched onto him. He tried to loosen them, but every time the baby's back hit the crib's mattress, he opened his eyes with a pout that broke his heart.

Finally giving up, he turned to the bed. Rin was asleep with his legs halfway off the bed, an arm thrown over his eyes. Against the headboard where she had been sitting, Izumo was now snoring lightly with her neck bent at an awkward angle. He sighed, sitting on the other side of the bed and pulling his feet up next to Rin's head as he continued to pat the baby's back, reassuring himself that at least a part of his friends lived on with every beat of Shirou's tiny heart.

Before he knew it, his eyelids started to grow heavy, and he had fallen asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realised that I forgot to add Konekomaru to the last chapter, even though he would obviously go to the funeral. just assume he was talking to the other guests while the other's were being tragic in the kitchen. 
> 
> Also, it has been brought to my attention that the email update thing sometimes doesn't work. I update soften every edge every Wednesday, so make sure to come read the new chapters! 
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading, and as always, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Have fun!


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